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Originally Posted by carld
Yes, as a matter of fact I have, not as extensively as he has, but I also know someone with an axe to grind when I see one.
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So do I. And yeah, Charlie is quite opinionated. In fact, he's mellowed quite a bit from his days on alt.peeves, and moderates himself beyond that. But he doesn't - usually - shoot his mouth off without knowing what he's talking about, and any axe he has to grind on this subject is quite unlikely to be defending the publishing industry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carld
I don't agree with his analysis of the impact of DRM, and I don't trust his analysis of ebook costs. I also don't think game publishing on a small scale and six of the largest ebook publishers in the world make for valid comparisons.
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The same basic principle apply in
all manufacturing. The exact numbers vary, as I noted before. Typical average for most manufactured goods is that the MSRP is six times the cost to make. Books is more like 10 (game books more like 12), but the basic principle is the same, and the number Charlie has mentioned are entirely consistent with my own 30 years experience in retail.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carld
I can only go by what I've experienced and read over a lot of years. I've seen far too many complaints from publishers about the physical costs of publishing and distributing paper books to ever accept that those costs suddenly don't matter. I don't buy it, and I never will.
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Speaking of axes to grind, have you ever considered that the publishers just might, possibly, on a bad day, have some incentive to slightly exaggerate their financial woes? I mean, really, what could they possibly gain by convincing both the buying public and the writers they buy from that they need to raise prices (which is what's happening on ebooks, make no mistake) and lower royalties? You find the publishers' claims more credible. I find Charlie's (and Charlie) more credible. Simple as that.